Exciting NEWS!!

We are now worshiping in our New Sanctuary beginning April 27

with Services at 8:00AM and 10:45AM.

Monthly Progress:

March Newsletter Update:

Many of you have had an opportunity to walk through the new building at least once by now. And, I’m sure, you might have said to yourself or someone else, ”This church looks like it’s almost done……can’t we just move in now?” We wish we could……the Building Committee shares your anticipation and impatience. The building is complete except for some minor finishing touches. None of the “finishing touches” would keep us from holding services. All we are waiting for now are the final approvals and the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy from Maricopa County. Without the Certificate of Occupancy, we cannot legally occupy the building.

We passed the fire safety inspection by the State Fire Marshall in February. This was a major approval towards obtaining the Certificate of Occupancy.

Interestingly this final approval process deals with more than just the building. With the exception of landscaping, the approval process deals with everything we have done on the site to-date. Landscaping is underway, but does not have to be completed for final approval. There are two more inspections to pass. If we pass these “final” inspections, the County issues the Certificate of Occupancy. We are praying this will occur in early March. Please pray for the inspections to go smoothly and for the County to respond in a timely manner.

February Newsletter Update:  Completion of the new church is in sight. We have made a great deal of progress in the last month. All of the major construction is now completed. In January we began the “finish work”. The cabinets have been set in the kitchen, sacristy and offices; all tile work is completed; the carpet is installed; the stained glass windows are in place; doors, windows and hardware is installed; the parking lot is paved and striped; parking lot lights are installed; furniture has been delivered; new electrical service has been completed; the audio system infrastructure is installed; and the list goes on and on. We will also be doing the landscaping; installing concrete patios; completing the audio system; and working on the “punch list” fix-it items in the coming weeks.

The Building Committee, the Board of Ministry Directors and Pastor Spicer have concurred that it is now safe to move back to the church “home” from Heritage Chapel. On February 3rd we will be moving worship services from Heritage back to the house on the Life in Christ property. It will be exciting to go back “home” as we anticipate the transition to the new worship center. We will go back to two services….8:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.  Also, we will be able to begin Lenten services on February 6th at our own church.

We still have a number of “final” inspections to pass…..the major one being the State Fire Marshall final life safety test of all fire safety systems. Once we pass that test the “Certificate of Occupancy” should be attainable without too much difficulty. When we obtain the Certificate of Occupancy, we will move into the new sanctuary. We hope that will happen by mid-February.

We have been blessed. The Lord has led us through some challenging obstacles. Please pray for us as we enter into the final inspections and finish work on the building. Your prayers and patience have been most appreciated in the last six months. We truly understand the inconvenience this project has caused, but we know one day we can all look back and say “It was worth it….PTL”.

December Newsletter Update:  Despite some rain delays, much work was done in December. The wood ceiling is nearly finished; painting inside and outside is complete; the parking lot is about 75% paved, the windows and doors are installed and lockable; some of the tile work is completed; major electrical and plumbing is done.  

January will be a busy month on the building project. This is the month we hope to finish the building, parking lot, concrete walks and patios, and landscaping. Inside the building, we still need to complete the tile work and carpet; install the plumbing fixtures; install cabinets and complete any finish carpentry. The stained glass windows will be set in place last. Some of this detail work is time consuming and subject to little problems along the way.

We are still awaiting review and approval on the fire safety systems from the State Fire Marshall. Getting through that phase will be very important to us in obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy. The Certificate of Occupancy is necessary before we can begin holding services in the new building. 

It’s exciting to see we are getting close to completion of our new church. Please continue to keep the building project in your prayers in the coming days.

Phil Allen  Building Committee Chairman

November Newsletter Update: Significant progress was made on the new  church building in October. The framing of the building was completed; rough electrical and plumbing was installed; door frames were installed; heating and air conditioning duct work was installed just to name a few of the major tasks completed. If you haven’t driven by to see it yet…..you really should! It’s very exciting to see the real building rather than a drawing.

In November the roofing material will be installed; exterior stucco will be applied; insulation will be installed; drywall will be completed; fire sprinkler piping will be roughed in; and the sanctuary ceiling will be installed. These are just a few of the many activities that will be occurring.

If you see Harold Doede, give him a big hug. He deserves it. No one is working harder to keep the project on schedule than Harold.

Dave Berg is working with an audio/visual specialist to provide quality audio and visual systems for the sanctuary. This is an important element of the overall worship experience and we plan to implement the best systems we can afford.

In addition to the construction progress, our Interior/Exterior Design & Fine Arts Committee has been working very hard in selecting colors, picking carpet and floor tile, and ordering furniture. They have put in many hours to try to make this building the welcome and comfortable place we would all like it to be. The Building Committee appreciates their time and effort.

There is still much work to do and we know there will be obstacles to overcome. We will continue to provide a brief weekly update in the bulletin. Please continue to keep the building project in your prayers.

Phil Allen  Building Committee Chairman

October Newsletter Update: It's beginning to look a lot like a building! The slab has been poured. The framing work has begun. Framing, with sheeting on the roof, is expected to be completed in about 3 weeks. Obviously, there will be many tasks after framing, but by then you will be able to get a feel for what your new church building will be in size and shape. Progress on the building continue on schedule.

There is still no resolution with the Maricopa county on the Banff Lane exit driveway. We hope a compromise can be reached with the County in October. Your continued prayers are needed on this difficult issue.

Phil Allen  Building Committee Chairman

More Pictures